Struggles in the Past
by leafpool310
Summary: An unlikely four go back in time to before Harry's first year in the hopes of saving hundreds of lives.
1. Chapter 1

**I've combined the first two chapters of this story into one. For Smithback. **

Twenty-five year old Hermione Granger sat in the headmaster's office, with her boyfriend, Neville Longbottom, sitting beside her. In the corner sat Severus Snape, spy for the Order of the Phoenix and Hogwarts potions teacher. Sitting off to the side was Remus Lupin. They had all been called down to Albus Dumbledore's office, but the man himself hadn't arrived yet.

Hermione glanced over at the potion's master, who was glaring at the floor, then over at her boyfriend, who was watching the portraits of all the old heads of Hogwarts, and finally over at Lupin. "So..." she said, breaking the long silence. "What do you suppose he wants?"

"No clue," Neville said, glancing over at her. "It's Dumbledore, it could be anything, although it's probably something to do with the war."

"Clearly," Snape said.

Neville opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione shook her head warningly, and he shut it as the door opened and Dumbledore finally came in.

"About time..." the man in the corner muttered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the headmaster said, ignoring Snape and settling himself into his chair. "I have a request of the four of you, a mission of sorts. It will be difficult, but there's no doubt in my mind that you can do it."

"What is it?" Hermione asked, leaning forward. Since the deaths of Harry and Ron, (Harry had died eight years ago and Ron nearly a month before) she had wanted to do something for the Order, to help defeat Voldemort once and for all.

"Lemon drop?" The four of them shook their heads. The old man shrugged, and put the bowl down. "I want you four to go back in time."

Silence. Then Lupin burst out laughing. "Good one, Albus," he said. "Now, what did you really want?"

Dumbledore locked eyes with each of them. "I am serious," he said quietly. "I've thought long and hard about this, and I've realized that his is the only way to stop Tom. Since Harry's death-" here Hermione flinched, and Neville gave her hand a squeeze"-the wizarding world has lost nearly all hope."

Hermione sighed. "What exactly would this... going back in time... involve?" The others looked at her. She knew that they probably thought Dumbledore had finally gone completely crazy, but something in her made her want to believe him, to trust in him. The fact was, he was right. Since Voldemort had succeded in killing Harry, most of the witches and wizards still alive had lost the little hope they had. And if this gave people hope again... Who was she to deny Dumbledore at least an explanation? And if it saved Harry...

"The ideal solution," he began, unwrapping one of the lemon drops, "would be to send the four of you back to Harry's first year. Actually, no. To before Harry's first year. Your bodies at that time would gain all the memories of all seven years Harry spent at Hogwarts, the years up until his death, and up until the time I send the four of you back."

"When would we do this?"

"Granger, are you actually thinking about going through with this harebrained idea?" the potions master growled at her.

"If it works, yeah!" she snapped. "We've lost hundreds of people in the past ten years, Snape! The Weasleys, my parents, Harry. If there's a way to stop it, I'll do anything. And," she added. "if this idea works, we can save your wife and daughter."

"I'll do it, but only if you guys are up to it," Neville said, looking at Lupin and Snape. "At eleven, we won't be able to do much."

"I'm in," Lupin said, looking at the other three. "Severus?"

The dark man sighed. "If we can save Isabelle and Jasmine," he said finally.

The four of them looked over at Dumbledore. "When do we go?" Neville asked.

Dumbledore smiled at them. "How does tonight sound?"

**(After this point, it's all in Hermione's POV unless I say otherwise)**

When I opened my eyes, I was in my bedroom. Not the bedroom I had shared with Neville for the past three years at his house, but the bedroom I had had when I was eleven years old. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, and when I opened them, I was still there.

"Yes!" I whispered, getting up and going over the the window. There is was-the street I had grown up on. I felt a smile grow on my face as I watched my neighbor mowing grass.

I heard a knock on the door, and turned as my mother came in. "Morning, Hermione. There's a man downstairs who says that he's come to tell you about a school. Some place called Hogwarts?"

"Alright, mom," I told her. She smiled and left, as I strained my memory. Who was it that had come told me about Hogwarts? I thought it had been McGonagall, but my mother had said a man...

I got dressed, and went downstairs to see Snape sitting uncomfortably on the sofa as my mother handed him a lemonade. I smothered a laugh. When he saw me, he stood up. "You must be Hermione, right?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I am. Who are you?" I could remember saying this before, the first time around.

"Hermione!" I heard my mother hiss, just like last time.

"I am Severus Snape. I'll be one of your professors at Hogwarts if you choose to go."

I felt my father put his arm around me. "What exactly is this school, Hogwarts?"

"It's a school for those with special abilities, those like your daughter," Snape said, locking eyes with me. "I guarantee you, it's a great school."

"What kind of... of special abilities? I know Hermione's smart, but..."

"When I say Hogwarts is a school for those with special abilities, I mean it's a school for those with magic."

"Magic?" my father roared. "Do you take us for fools? Get out!" Closing my eyes, I could remember this exact with McGonagall.

"Dad," I whispered. "Can you let him explain? Please?" My parents exchanged a glance, before my father nodded at Snape.

After an hour of conversation, my parents were satisfied. When I asked if I could speak to the professor alone, they gladly got up and went upstairs.

"Have you talked to either of the others?" I asked at once.

He shook his head. "No, I haven't. Lupin sent me an owl early this morning, but I haven't had a chance to reply yet."

"And Neville?" I whispered.

"Haven't heard from him." I looked down, biting my lip."If you want, I can go to Diagon Ally when I leave here and buy you an owl."

I looked up at him. "Really? You would do that?"

"Yes. Why not? We're supposed to be saving the world, aren't we? If you can't communicate with us, how can you help? I'll send the owl to you later."

"Thank you, Professor," I told him. "Um. Who are we going to tell? Just Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore, and anyone else you think should know. I plan on telling my wife. You might want to tell your parents. Remus probably will tell Sirius, when he escapes. And Neville will probably tell his grandmother."

"When will you tell Dumbledore? You aren't going to wait until September, are you?"

"No," he said, standing up. "I was going to tell him tomorrow. The sooner he knows, the better. After all, he was the one that came up with this idea. He should at least know about it."

"Are you going?"

"I have to. But I'll send you that owl today, and you can send your beloved a letter. Good day." And with that, he left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Originally chapters 3 & 4. For Smithback and Voldy Fan.  
**

Later that night, an owl showed up with a note from Snape. Just four words were written-_ Tomorrow afternoon, at three_. With a sigh, I put the note in my drawer, hoping my parents wouldn't come in here and dig through the dresser. I shook my head at that thought. No, they hadn't started going through my things until I was sixteen. This was going to confuse me... This entire thing where so much hasn't happened yet...

I groaned, sinking into a chair. "At three," I muttered to myself. "But where, Snape? Where could you want to meet that an eleven year old muggle born could get to?" I bit my lip, staring out the window at the park swings. The park...

While I couldn't imagine the "bat of the dungeons" as some of my house-mates had once so affectionately called him, in a muggle park filled with little children, it would make sense. It was close enough that I could walk, and it was slightly more private then the library, because the adults were more concerned with their wild children then anyone else.

I couldn't wait for school to start. Sure, Remus wouldn't be there to help us with Mr Sarcasm, but Neville would. And we would get to see Harry, Ron... I could feel the tears forming, and I brushed them away.

"They're alive," I told myself firmly. "And they're not going to die."

"Who's not going to die, dear?" my mother asked from the door, making me jump, not having heard her come in. "Hermione, are you alright? You've been acting strange all day. Does it have t do with what that Snape fellow told you?"

I opened my mouth, thought for a second, and closed it. "Not exactly," I said finally. "It's... something else. Something big."

She came and sat next to me. "Bigger then you being a witch?"

I nodded. "Way bigger. I'm not... How can I say this..." I paused for a moment, before deciding to be blunt. "I'm really twenty five. I came from the future to start everything over."

She just stared at me for a moment, before she burst into laughter, much like Remus had when Dumbledore had told him the plan.

"Mom, I'm serious."

"Hermione, you've never been one to make up stories, so why are you starting now? I believed that man about magic because he showed me himself, but this... it's impossible."

"I'm not making up a story. I'm not the only one that came back, anyway. Snape did, and Remus, and Neville..."

When I sad Neville's name, a memory burst into my head.

_"So when do we get to meet this Neville person?" my mother asked, sitting at the table sipping tea. "The two of you have been dating since you were seventeen. We've seen one of those moving photos you guys have, but that's not the same as meeting him."_

_"Neville's... going through a lot, right now. Snape thinks he's come up with an idea to help restore his parents' minds, and that's a big thing for him," i told her. "He's never really known his own parents. You can imagine how strange it would be to meet my parents before he _meets _meets his own."_

"Hermione?" I shook my head, and looked over at my mom. She was still sitting next to me, her eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright?"

"How can I be alright when my mother doesn't believe me?" I asked hoarsely.

"I just.. why would you come back to be eleven again?" She asked finally. "What would make you want to go through the teen years again?"

"Too many died," I told her softly. She looked at me in alarm. "I'm going to tell you, but make me a promise first." She nodded. "Promise that, no matter what I tell you tonight, you won't try and stop me from going to Hogwarts."

"I promise."

Unsticking my throat, I told her everything. About the war, what would happen in the next fifteen years, and how Neville had been cursed to kill her and my father. When I was done, she stared at me in horror.

"All... all that?" she managed to whisper. "And you expect me to let you go to that... that place? I won't allow it! You could die!"

"You promised," I told her softly. She began shaking her head. "You can't stop me. I'm sorry, mom, but I have to go. I can't let Neville and Remus and Snape do this on their own. They need me, and I need them. You have no idea how much I need them..."

"Alright," she said softly. The two of us sat there in silence for the next hour, both thinking on the times of terror to come.

SITP

The moment Neville and I were alone, I threw my arms around him. It was September first, and the two of us hadn't seen each other since we had arrived back in this time. Although we had been able to owl each other constantly, thanks to Snape, it wasn't the same as being able to hold each other. "I've missed you," I murmured into his chest.

"I've missed you too," he murmured back, burying his face into my hair. Then he reluctantly pulled away. "We have to be careful," he told me, although it sounded as if he had to tell himself more. "If people see us, they might suspect something's up."

"So what?" I whispered. "I don't care."

"Yes, you do. We're here to save Harry and Ron, remember? If we get caught, that plan's ruined. We won't be able to if we're caught, and you know that."

The two of us sat down on different seats.

"In a few hours, we're going to go find them. That should give them enough time to get to know each other." Of course, I didn't have to ask who he meant by them. Ron and Harry. My best friends. "Hermione." I looked up at him. "We'll be fine. We can do this. Have some faith."

I gave him a small smile, before glancing out the window. "Have you heard from Remus or Snape?" I asked quietly.

"Not since the day we arrived. I met Remus at the library near our manor, and we owled nearly every day. What about you?"

"Snape and I kept in contact through the summer," I told him. "He was the one that came to my house to tell my parents about magic this time around."

"Really?" Neville raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised. Isn't it usually-"

"Heads of houses," I reminded him. "And he is a head of house." There was silence for a moment. "What will Remus be doing this year? There's not really much he can do by himself, is there?"

"Horcrux searching," Neville said. "He has two entire years before he's expected to come and teach. It took you, Harry, and Ron less than a year to-" he froze at the look on my face. "Oh Hermione, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I told him, forcing a smile. "I keep forgetting they're alive now. You were saying?"

I could tell he didn't believe I was fine, but he went on anyway. "It took you less than a year to find nearly all of them and destroy them. Had... Had what happened that May not happened, Voldemort would have been destroyed then."

I closed my eyes, thinking back. What Neville said was true. Had Narcissa Malfoy been able to use Occuumency, many of the people who had died wouldn't have. Unfortunately, when she lied to Voldemort and told him Harry was dead, he got mad, and set Fiendfyre on the castle, killing over a hundred witches and wizards that had come to aid the Order. And then he was gone, leaving the survivors behind to pick up the pieces and struggle through the remains.

I was brought back to the present when the compartment door slammed open, and the Weasley twins rushed in.

"Quick, shut it!" The one I knew to be Fred hissed, as George pulled out his wand and sealed the door. I sat there quietly, trying not to burst out laughing. It was then they turned and saw us.

They looked at each other in horror. "Oops..." George muttered.

"What's going on guys?" I asked, hiding a smile. "You have to tell us. After all, you did just lock us in."

"Er-"

"It's like this..."

"Well?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"It's Lee's fault!" Fred blurted."If he hadn't brought that spider, we wouldn't have been tempted to set it on Marcus Flint!"

At that point, both Neville and I started laughing, we just couldn't help it. I could remember, from my first ever train ride, seeing this very thing happening. At the time, I hadn't thought it was funny, because I had been a goody-two-shoes. Now, however, I could fully appreciate the twins.

"I'm Hermione Granger," I said eventually, once I had stopped laughing. "And this is my b-friend, Neville Longbottom."

"We're Gred and Forge Weasley," Fred said, not noticing my slip. "But most people just call us Fred and George."

"Are you going to let us out any time soon?" Neville wondered. "Or are we going to stay in here the whole train ride?"

George's ears went red, and he unsealed the door.

I grinned at him. "Thanks! It was nice meeting you," I added, as we headed for the door.

**So, I actually wrote chapter 5, but I'm not going to repost it just yet. I'm gonna wait for a bit, until I have a lot more written. **


	3. Chapter 3

**For Smithback and Zarohk Korobase.  
**

"I wish they hadn't changed," I said softly, once we were standing outside the compartment.

"They didn't change, Hermione," Neville whispered. "They just focused their attention on trying to help Harry. Speaking of, why don't we go try to find him and Ron?"

"Alright," I told him, smiling sadly as I glanced back once. We traveled to the end of the train, to where I remembered meeting Harry and Ron for the first time. Taking a breath, I raised my fist and knocked before opening the door. "Hey, can we sit here? Our compartment was just taken over by a set of twins."

Ron's ears turned red. "Not Fred and George Weasley?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't really mind though, they seemed funny to me. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

"Ron Weasley."

"I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Harry Potter." At that, I turned to look at the boy, that, when I saw him last, was a man that had just succeeded in killing Bellatrix Lastrange.

This time, I decided not to blurt out everything I'd read on him. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I said instead, smiling. "Do any of you know what Hogwarts is like?"

"Oh it's wonderful!" Ron started in. "All my brothers have been, and-" I listened as he went on and on about everything he knew about the school.

"How many brothers do you have?" Neville asked, once Ron had slowed down. While he answered, I turned to look at Harry. He was staring at us open mouthed, an expression of wonder on his face, like he couldn't believe this was real.

"You're lucky," Neville said. "I live with my gran."

"What happened to your parents?" Harry asked.

"They... aren't around anymore," he said quietly, glancing over at me. I gave him a reassuring smile, wanting to comfort him, but since Ron and Harry were there, I couldn't.

"At least you were raised in the wizarding world," I said, changing the subject. "My parents are muggles. We never even heard of this place until that Snape man came to our house."

Ron stared. "Snape?"

I nodded, then pretended to be confused. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah. My brothers have told me about him. He's extremely biased. Pure evil if you're not in his house, Slytherin."

I shrugged. "He seemed okay to me," I said quietly. "Maybe it's cause I haven't been sorted yet."

"Probably," Ron said.

I glanced over at Neville, who was watching Ron and biting his lip. Hopefully we could change Ron's attitude towards Snape before the end of the school year, and definitely before our 6th year, as that's when it counts. That is, if we decided to go through with that. If things went well, however, we wouldn't have to, because Voldemort will have been defeated by then.

"So your parents are muggles?" Ron asked in the silence.

"Yes. Dentists." This, of course, got us started on the subject of what, exactly, a dentist was, which lasted for nearly an hour and a half. Finally, I gave up trying to explain, and burst out laughing. And then, everyone was laughing. Apparently, some friendships can survive through anything. Even time.

* * *

I glanced around the Great Hall during the sorting, staring at everyone that had died or had gone missing during the war.. Cedric Diggory, the second death of the second war. Cho Chang killed along with their parents for helping muggleborns escape the country, Seamus Finnigin, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Susan Bones went missing shortly after Arthur and Molly Weasley did. And several others.

I felt Neville place his hand on my arm. "Mione, are you okay?" he whispered.

"I'm fine," I lied, as Seamus was sorted into Gryffindor. "Great..." I muttered, taking a deep breath as my name was called. I made my way up to the stool and sat down.

"Ah... Miss Granger, we meet again," the sorting hat said into my ear. "Prophecies do not lie."

"What?" I thought. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out in due time, Miss Granger. But for now.. GRYFFINDOR!" I rose, stunned, and made my way to the Gryffindor table and found myself sitting next to Percy Weasley, who had managed to rescue over two hundred witches and wizards after the ministry was taken over, from inside the ministry itself, before Voldemort found out and killed him, by having one of his Death Eaters drown him in the Hogwarts Lake.

"Welcome to Gryffindor," he told me, holding out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Percy Weasley."

I stared at him for a moment, imagining his body floating in the middle of the lake, before forcing a smile and taking his hand. "It's nice to meet you," I said politely. "I'm Hermione Granger, but you already know that."

He smiled back as the sorting continued. "Excited to be here?"

I grinned. "You have no idea! My parents are muggles, see, and I never knew that all the strange things I did as a kid were magic. It was such a relief when Snape came and explained everything."

"Snape?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I've heard that he's evil and all from... well, I guess he's your brother. Ron? He told me all about him on the train, but the Snape I met was actually..." I paused. "He didn't act evil, anyway."

"Longbottom, Neville!" I watched as the hat was placed on his head, and a few minutes later, it called out Gryffindor, and Neville came and sat next to me.

"Whew!" he said. "I thought I wasn't going to get sorted!" He gave me a look, which, to the casual observer, would be one of relief, but I knew it to mean we had to talk later.

"No one has ever not been sorted," Percy told us. "I assure you."

Soon after, Harry and Ron joined us at the Gryffindor table, and the feast began.

**I made a trailer for this story, just cause I got bored, lol. You can find it on youtube, under the name Leafpool310(same as this, lol). So if you want to, you can take a look. It's not that great, though. **


	4. Chapter 4

**For Smithback and Zarohk Korobase. **

**I now have something else taking up my time, so updates will be even fewer :( Sorry guys. Trust me, I'd rather be on here then at PT, school, or doing hw. Ugh. But it's high school, and unfortunately, I have to suffer along with every other kid. **

"I don't understand," Neville said. The four of us were in Snape's private rooms, where no student would dare to enter. "What prophecy was the hat talking about?"

"I think the better question," Snape said dryly, "is how a hat would know about the prophecy in the first place."

"They're both good questions," I said quickly, before an argument would start up, knowing those two. "But I have a question, too. How are we going to find out about it? I'm sure Dumbledore knows."

"That man knows everything," Lupin said, a small smile on his face. "He _is _aware about us, correct?" he added, looking over at Snape.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "Of course he does, wolf. Telling him was one of the first things I did."

"Behave," I said sharply. "How do you expect to be able to do this if we fight among ourselves?" I looked from one to another. "I'll admit it. I don't like you, Snape, Neville's not too fond of you either, and I know for a fact that you and Lupin hate each other. Plus neither Neville or I really know Lupin. The only ones of us that actually know each other or get along is Neville and I. But, starting now, I say we make a truce. Agreed?"

Snape and Lupin glared, and Snape was the first to speak. "Agreed." Lupin and Neville looked surprised, but I just sighed in relief. "When we're together, call me Severus, then. If we're going to have a truce."

"Fine Sn-Severus. Lupin? Neville?"

"It's Remus," the werewolf said.

"You know me, Mione. Of course I'll agree to a truce."

"Fine then," I said. "What we need to do now is find out about this prophecy. Sn- Severus, do you think you can ask Dumbledore about it?" He gave a short nod. "Thank you. Remus, when do you leave to find the horcruxes?"

"I'm leaving to find the ring next week, if I can figure where it is before then."

I shrugged. "I really don't know. Harry never told me. It would have been helpful if he did, though. I think, the easiest thing to get to would be the diadem, as it's here in the castle. One of us should attempt to get it in the next month. I think that Neville and I should get back to our dorms. We all need sleep, since we have class in the morning."

"I might be able to get it tonight," Severus told us. "I'll escort you to the Gryffindor tower, so you do not get into any trouble."

* * *

Sitting at the breakfast table the next morning, I realized just how many people we were supposed to save, and how innocent everyone was in this time. There was Seamus and Dean, talking about something, grins on their faces, so excited to begin learning. Lavender Brown and Parvarti Patil were sitting across from me, laughing and talking about makeup. I found myself wishing that we could stay like this. To them, there was no threat of war.

But to me, it was all clear. Looking around the room, I could see, in my mind, Lavender, Parvarti, and Pavarti's twin, Padma, burning alive as they struggled to get the first years out of the castle. I saw Cedric Diggory's body laying in the Quidditch field, having just been murdered by Wormtail. I saw Professor McGonagall screaming, as Bellatrix Lastrange crucioed her over and over until she lost her mind.

"Hermione?" Harry's voice behind me made me jump. I had been so focused on my memories of the past that I had forgotten what our mission was, and that, hopefully, it would all be different. "Are you okay?"

I smiled at him. "I'm fine. I just had a nightmare last night, that's all." He still looked concerned. "Trust me, Harry, it's nothing." I decided to change the subject. "You excited to start learning?"

He lit up. "Yeah, it's gonna be great. I think I'm gonna get lost though." He looked around the Great Hall. "This place _is _pretty big."

"That it is. I've heard that it takes a while to get used to. But that's really the same with any school. Or any new place."

I felt Fred and George settle themselves on either side of me. "Hello again," The one I knew to be Fred told me. "Do you remember me? I'm George, and this is Fred."

I calmly took a bite of my toast before speaking. "No. You're Fred, and he's George. You can't fool me." The two boys looked at each other, shock covering their freckled faces.

"How did you know?" they said together, after a long silence. "No one can ever tell us apart. Not even our mother."

I grinned. "I grew up with twin cousins. I can tell when you're lying. You looked slightly over at George when you said that he was Fred. It's quiet simple." Okay, not the complete truth. But I couldn't possibly tell him that I had known him for thirteen years, could I?

Fred and George accepted the explanation, and began to eat, while McGonagall came along the table, passing out our schedules. And so the year began.

* * *

The week flew by, with no chance to talk to Severus and ask if he had gotten the horcrux yet. Finally, Friday came along, and with it, our first potions lesson.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," Severus began, in barely more than a whisper. No one moved. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

I exchanged a glance with Neville, trying not to start laughing, while Harry and Ron were turned away from us. It was the exact same speech he had given the first time.

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" _Draught of living death, _I thought. Harry shook his head slightly, before muttering that he did not know. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" _Stomach of a goat_. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfbane?" _Nothing._

"Professor Snape, he doesn't know," I said finally. All eyes turned to me. Severus's were narrowed.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Granger, and detention with me, at eight tonight, for speaking out of turn." I felt a surge of anger, before I realized what he was doing. He was giving me an excuse to go down to his office.

"That was unfair," Neville muttered loud enough for Ron and Harry to hear, once Severus had set us to working on a boil-curing potion. "How was Harry supposed to know all that? AND he gave you a detention. What was that about?"

"Don't worry about it," I muttered back. "I'm not going to. One detention and five points aren't that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" Neville asked incredulously, and I saw Severus turn his head. I nearly started laughing once I realized what my boyfriend was doing. "It's the first lesson!"

"There's no point in arguing," Severus said from behind us. "Mr Longbottom, why don't you join us in detention? Eight o clock. Do not be late."


	5. Chapter 5

**For Smithback. **

**Wow. It's been forever since I started writing this story, and I really am sorry. I've just had so much take up my time. But I really hope I still have a few readers out there!**

**Chapter Five**

"You know, there could have been another way to do this," I said, entering Severus's office at eight o clock exactly, Neville with me. "Instead of giving us detentions. They stay on our records, you know."

He barely glanced up from the papers he was grading. "Lupin and Dumbledore will be joining us soon."

I sighed, throwing myself into one of the chairs he had set out. Thirty seconds later, the door opened, and the other two came in. "Hello," I said, waving at the old man that had, in another time, treated my best friend like a grandson.

"Good evening, Miss Granger," he told me, taking the seat next to me. "Severus, what is this about?"

"Horcruxes," Severus said simply.

I stared at him. "Did you get it?" I whispered. He gave a short nod. "You did? Do you have it with you?" He nodded again, pulling open a drawer on his desk, and feeling around. A moment later, the diadem was sitting on the top of the desk. I felt a grin spread across my face. "Now all we have to is destroy it!"

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Remus demanded. "We won't get the sword until next year, when the Chamber opens. And that's only if we let that happen again. Fiendfyre is an option-"

"No," I said sharply. "There is no way we're going to… to do that. _No way_."

"Hermione-"

"I said _no_! Don't you remember…? No Fiendfyre. None. Understand?"

"Hermione, calm down," Neville told me, taking my hand in his. "We won't use Fiendfyre. I promise."

"What happened with fiendfyre?" the old man questioned, looking from Neville, Remus, and myself. None of us answered, so he sighed, and leaned forward, staring at the diadem. "You mean to say… this is… Tom's?"

"Yes, it is," Severus said. "One of them, at least. There is still many more. What were all of them again, Hermione?"

"Tom Riddle's diary, the Gaunt ring, Slytherin's locket, Ravenclaw's diadem, Hufflepuff's cup, Nagini the snake, and Harry," I said quietly. "Lucius Malfoy has the diary, the ring is in the Riddle house, I believe, Slytherin's locket is at the Black's home, we found the diadem, the cup is in Bellatrix Lastrange's vault at Gringotts. The only thing we _don't _know where it is at this point is Nagini, but we can get to her in a few years time. And, of course, we do know where Harry is, but that won't have to happen until later."

"How do you know all this, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked.

"I was with Harry during the search. We had destroyed all of the horcruxes, but… circumstances prevented Harry from actually killing Voldemort, and he managed to create more."

"So what do we do now?" Remus wondered. "We have the diadem, but no way to destroy it yet. The diary will become available to us, but not until next year. If we leave things be, Harry will destroy it when he kills the baskilisk in the chamber. We can get to the ring any time, really, but whoever goes after it _must _remember about the curse, which Dumbledore didn't-" at this point he glanced over at the old man, who was listening with a bewildered look on his face."-we can't get to Grimmauld place until the summer before Harry's fifth year, unless we plan to somehow have Sirius released before then. We can't just break into Gringotts, so we'll have to plan thoroughly on that. Nagini will be available to us after Voldemort rises again at the end of Harry's fourth year. As for Harry himself… that's the last thing that must happen before destroying Voldemort once and for all."

"How much are you going to leave as is?" the headmaster asked us. "You keep saying if we leave things be, unless we plan to have it changed. What do you want to change?"

"We shouldn't change anything until Voldemort rises again," Severus said. "Other then destroying the horcruxes, of course. If we change things, there's a chance that he won't rise as he did before, and we might not get the warning we did in the last time line."

"Cedric Diggory isn't going to die again," Neville informed him. "We can keep things as close as possible, but Diggory can't be allowed to go to the graveyard."

"Understood," Remus stated. "Now, on a completely off topic yet related subject, did Harry and Ron go visit Hagrid again this time around?"

I nodded. "Yes, and I went with them again, while Neville made friends with Seamus and Dean. Harry has found out that someone broke into Gringotts the day he went with Hagrid. He of course doesn't know about the stone yet."

"Good, good," Severus said, absentmindedly. I stared at him in surprise.

"Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh yes. Isabelle has just informed me she's expecting."

"Oh, that's wonderful news, Severus!" Dumbledore said.

"Yes, it would be, except this is three months too soon." The room went quiet. "Isabelle told me she was pregnant on Christmas Day. She's not pregnant with my Jasmine."

**Sadly... I do not have my copy of Philosopher's/Sorceror's stone, so I don't know how much of this I can write without it... *tear* But I did find an edition online, so I'll only be able to write when I have access to internet. **


End file.
